A young woman with long, reddish hair lying on the ground surrounded by purple flowers, with her eyes closed and a calm expression on her face.

Feeling stuck in tradional therapy? KAP may be able to help.

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which psychedelic substances are used as a complement to psychotherapy in order to help eligible patients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms.

In partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical, I am offering a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). I take on the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team supports you on all medical aspects. This includes determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine and monitoring outcomes.

Ketamine helps improve mental health outcomes in a variety of ways. It acts as an antidepressant, opens the door to deeper and more thoughtful insights, and makes it easier to instill both cognitive and behavioral changes.

In our work together, I will be applying the foundations of cognitive behavioral therapy to help you reflect on and process your journey, insights, and experience with ketamine. This may help you further explore patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, identify key action items that can aid in behavioral change and learning during the neuroplasticity window following ketamine session, or identify and address barriers to the goals that you have been working towards.

As Cognitive Behavioral Therapy frequently employs a mindfulness based approach, this will be applied to your KAP sessions by helping you be present during dosing sessions and approaching newfound insights and experiences with curiosity instead of judgment.

Common Questions

  • Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. It is a beneficial addition to treatment for several reasons:

    1. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors and stimulating AMPA receptors, which help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood.

    2. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement and improved ability to build new habits and make behavioral changes.

    3. The mental state brought on by this medicine can help promote improved mental processing and clarity to aid in lasting symptom relief.

    Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.

  • The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Many individuals have reported feelings of gratitude, self-compassion, awareness, and insight.

    Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.

  • In our work together, I will be applying the foundations of cognitive behavioral therapy to help you reflect on and process your journey, insights, and experience with ketamine. This may help you further explore patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, identify key behavioral experiments that can aid in behavioral change and learning during the neuroplasticity window following ketamine session, or identify and address barriers to the goals that you have been working towards.

    As Cognitive Behavioral Therapy frequently employs a mindfulness based approach, this will be applied to your KAP sessions by helping you be present during dosing sessions and approaching newfound insights and experiences with curiosity instead of judgment.

  • This type of treatment is a great fit for a variety of individuals who:

    For individuals who are feeling particularly stuck or experiencing roadblocks in their current mental health treatment and progress, there is expanding research in the mental health community around the impacts of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) to help eligible patients get unstuck and experience long-lasting improvement

    KAP has been found to be particularly beneficial for those struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental illnesses. Some of the latest studies have shown truly life-changing results for some patients.

  • One of the most common concerns that comes up around ketamine is the association with safety concerns, especially following recent news stories. However, ketamine has a long history of safe use in medical settings, including anesthesia and pain management, even in pediatric populations. When administered in controlled, therapeutic environments, it is considered very safe. The doses used in KAP are lower than those used in anesthesia and are carefully monitored by trained professionals to ensure safety and comfort throughout the process.

  • Item descriptionKetamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Depending on your insurance plan and coverage, medication appointments through Journey Clinical may be completely covered. At the very least, they will be eligible for out of network reimbursement.

    • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

      • My typical hourly rate is $200/hour. Due to the different time lengths of each type of appointment, the cost for each will vary.

    • Journey Clinical Medical Costs

      • First-time patients

        • Initial medical consultation with Journey Clinical: $250

        • Cost of medication: $88 (enough for 2 sessions)

      • Ongoing treatment

        • Follow-up medical consultation with Journey Clinical $150 (at least once per quarter)

        • Cost of medication: $148 (enough for up to 6 sessions)

      • Accepted insurance plans for these appointments:

        • Aetna, New York

        • Aetna, California

        • Aetna, Washington

        • Anthem Blue Cross, California

        • Blue Cross Blue Shield, Massachusetts

      • Journey Clinical is committed to expanding access to mental health care and is working on partnering with more Insurance programs. feel free to stay up to date with their offerings via their website.

      • If you aren’t eligible to continue with KAP, all non-covered medical service charges will be fully refunded through Journey Clinical. Please note that this does not apply to clinical or psychotherapy services already received.

      • For more information about insurance coverage, types of medical services, and reimbursement policy, please reach out to Journey Clinical directly.

  • If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me on KAP, please reach out to discuss eligibility and next steps.

  • Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while I take on the therapy. Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.Item description

  • Here are some great resources:

    1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS

    2. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy – research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018

    3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter

    4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop

    5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical – Psychology Talk Podcast

The Process

Here are some steps outlinining the common trajectory of KAP - from your initial curiosity through the makeup of sessions

1. Gathering information

  • You are also encouraged to take some time to research KAP on your own to identify any questions or concerns that you might have. I have provided some useful resources and information below to help you with this part of the process.

  • Then, you and I can schedule a time to further discuss your thoughts, questions, and concerns around Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. This would be a great opportunity for you to gather any information on logistics, processes, and goal setting and to aid in your decision making process.

  • If the information you receive leads you to believe that KAP would be a great fit for you, I will then go ahead and make a referral for you to Journey Clinical so you can schedule next steps.

2. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical

  • First, you will schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.

  • If Journey Clinical’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you.

  • Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.

3. Preparation sessions:

  • Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions. Preparation sessions will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session is to align on the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions together.

4. KAP Dosing Session:

  • A typical ketamine dosing session lasts between 2-3 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth. Please note that a chaperone will be required for either type of session. For in-office sessions, you will need to arrange for someone to pick you up at the end of the session. For virtual sessions, you will need to arrange for someone else to be in the home with you to assist you or communicate with me on your behalf.

  • During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge either in my office or in your home. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed.

5. Integration Sessions:

  • After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for multiple integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts and insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.

6. Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical:

  • After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team will schedule regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

Are you interested in finding out more or exploring if KAP is a good fit for you?

Please reach out! I’d be more than happy to share more information and resources or hold a consultation call to further discuss your mental health journey and your personal needs.